Men’s golf relies on leadership, experience

Scoring complications turned into disqualification for the Dukes at the Raising Cane Classic in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Sept. 20 and 21, but coach Paul Gooden and his team have deemed it an unfortunate learning experience.

"It was in preparation for this year and didn’t count against us," senior Jason Robertson said.

The men’s golf team is full of veterans, but experience isn’t always everything.

"We have a lot of experience, but we have to raise our scores better," Gooden said. "Our guys are going to have to step it up a little bit."

Relying on seniority and leadership, the men’s team has plenty of it to go around. With four out of six players being seniors, those upperclassmen are expected to perform on a slightly different playing ground.

"Those four seniors need to play on a little bit different level; we have to be shooting par or under to be shooting competitively," Gooden said.

Senior co-captain Barry Londeree is expected to act as a guide for the season, teaching the skills that he’s learned over the years to underclassmen.

"He’s the captain. He’s going be one of the leaders on the team," Gooden said of Londeree.

Co-captain Robertson also is there for guidance. He used his time over the summer to participate in amateur tournaments, but also to set goals for himself and the team for the season to come.

"I want to keep playing better every year, and play more," Robertson said. "I want to help the team to better in scoring and get back to the NCAA regional."

The golfers used the summer to improve their strokes by participating in amateur tournaments, as well as focusing on skills that needed improvement from past seasons.

"Putting is a short game that you can always work on," Londeree said. "And, of course, management, and driving the ball."

Along with the practiced seniors, some underclassmen are stepping up to the challenge as well.

Submitting a final round 77, but not carding a total score due to a scoring mishap earlier in the Raising Cane Tournament, freshman Michael Chupka got off to a rocky start.

Despite some bad luck, his coaches said Chupka will become a valuable player for the team.

"He’s going to be a great player for us," Gooden said. "That [tournament] won’t hurt us — it’s kind of like we never played."

Londeree said, "We showed that we could shoot some good scores, we just need to be consistent as a team."

The Dukes will be back in action Oct. 4 and 5 in the Joe Agee Invitational in Richmond.

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